First pictures of Thai cave boys on road to recovery

And two production companies have reportedly already shown an interest in the story.

Last week, FIFA said it would invite the group to Russian Federation 2018 as soon as they were rescued but the Thai authorities have told world football's governing body that the team will not be fit enough to travel to Sunday's game in Moscow.

Doctors who treated the boys after their rescue reported that while they had lost weight, the otherwise appeared to be in good health.

The plight of the Wild Boars team has dominated global news for a fortnight and a Thai diver died on Friday when he ran out of oxygen following a mission to get air tanks to the group.

After being brought out of the cave, one by one beginning on Sunday, they were taken by helicopter to hospital in the town of Chiang Rai, about 70 km (45 miles) away, to stay in quarantine.

"The area will become a living museum, to show how to operation unfolded", Narongsak Osottanakorn, the former governor and head of the rescue mission, told a news conference.

"An interactive data base will be set up".

It will be a "major attraction" for Thailand, an official old BBC. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha (above, at right) thanked global experts who helped find the boys.

All had come from football training when they first went into the cave on June 23, and were wearing football shirts when they were found - one wore an England top, another the colours of Real Madrid.

The boys told doctors they did not see any bats or other animals, and experts say it is unlikely bats would dwell as deep in a cave as the boys were.

There's now not one but two movies about the Thai cave rescue in the pipeline. "There was only a tiny bit of hope, but that's all we had to work with".

"The bravery and heroism I've witnessed is incredibly inspiring, so, yes, this will be a movie for us", said CEO and co-founder Michael Scott, who lives in Thailand part-time and was on the scene of the rescue.

In a statement, a Federation Internationale de Football Association spokesperson said: "FIFA would like to express its great joy at the news of the rescue of the 12 young footballers and their coach". He last partnered with Ivanhoe in directing the upcoming romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians.

"The favourable outcome that has been achieved is nearly beyond our imagination when we first became involved", they said. There's a handsome story abt human beings saving other human beings.

It was later reported that some of the boys could not swim, further complicating the rescue.

Their plight and the massive, risky three-day-long operation to free them gripped the world's attention.

The Thai hospital where the 12 boys and their soccer coach are recuperating after being rescued from a flooded cave has released video showing them in their hospital beds, chatting with nurses and making two-finger victory signs. They were located by expert British divers after nine days, and were eventually rescued over three days starting 9 July.